Annex 1
Synosis of Brhannala
Scenes:
Scene 1:
Savyasachin: He who shoots arrows with his right hand and his left hand; he who plays the vina as well as he shoots arrows.
Brhannala enters the court of Virata.
Scene 2:
Brhannala tells a story about a dog and a tiger in the court of Virata. The dog tells the story of Brhannala-like beings through song. At the end of this song there is a war, which was probably the Goharan of the Mahabharata.
Scene 3:
Dronacharya is taking a class in the science of warfare with the Kuru children.
Arjuna wants to shoot at the speed of light.
Dorna advises him to consult Siva.
Scene 4:
Arjuna goes to meet Siva to learn how to shoot at the speed of light (probably also to get the Pasupata)
Scene 5:
En route to Kurukshetra. The dog and tiger again.
Scene 6:
At Kurukshetra.
Abhimanyu is dead.
Scene 7:
Savyasachin realized
Annex 2
Company Profile of Adishakti Theatre Company
The Adishakti Theatre Company is based in Pondicherry but draws its team from Mumbai, Kerala and the international community in Auroville. Since its inception in Mumbai in 1981, the company’s main goal has been to develop a new aesthetic for theatre. In its view this has become necessary as both contemporary and traditional theatre are slowly declining, giving way to the popularity of Cinema.
It is Adishakti’s belief that the theatre’s irrefutable and inimitable strength lies in the live sensorial presence of the actor. If the actor develops and uses her physical and psychological instrumentality to the largest degree, he/she can generate a heightened consciousness and energy, which is contagious. In return, all that the actor has done on himself/herself, psychologically and spiritually and physically can be shared and partaken of by those who are present. The spiritual validity of theatre lies then it its ability to elevate the consciousness of an audience through performance.
As the actor’s physical presence and the contagion of its consciousness is central to Adishakti’s philosophy of theatre, the earliest efforts at creating a language of expression were based on highly physical performance forms like Kalaripayattu, Koodiyuttam, Kathakali and Chhau.
The research process towards this new language of expression and aesthetic has involved both traditional and folk performers. And, to continually appropriate the skills and techniques of this category of artistes, Adishakti has tirelessly created a suitable work environment within which the traditional performer is able to re-look at his/her form. Thus, making it accessible to contemporary audiences, but without diluting and damaging the first principles of his/her art.
However, it is not only through a penetration of and revitalization of traditional forms that a new aesthetic for theatre can be realised. It also requires an inter-disciplinary input. With this end in view Adishakti has employed principles which inform disciplines as varied as Cinema and Music towards the creation of a vibrant theatre practice.
Annex 3
Profile of Veenapani Chawla
Veenapani Chawla is the Managing Trustee and Artistic Director of the Adishakti Theatre Company. Her major productions include Ganapati, 2000 (written, choreographed, composed and directed using principles of Kalaripayattu); Brhannala, 1998 (written, choreographed, directed, produced using principles of Kalaripayattu and Koodiyattam); Khandava Prastha, 1998 (written, choreographed, produced in Koodiyattam); Impressions of Bhima, 1994 (written, choreographed, directed, produced using principles of Kalaripayattu, Koodiyattam, Kathakali); A Greater Dawn (Savitri), 1992 using principles of Kalaripayattu, Thang Tha, Chhau, Kathakali); Trojan Women, 1985 (directed, choreographed, produced using the Mayubhanj Chhau form); Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, 1983 (directed and produced); Oedipus, 1981 (directed and produced); Sita (acted and directed).
Ms Chawla has also trained with the Royal Shakespeare Company and was also briefly with Eugenio Barba’s Odin Theatret at Holstebro, Denmark. In India she has learnt Chhau, Kalaripayattu, Koodiyattam, Kathakali and Dhrupad singing.
She has been recognised by grants from the Ford Foundation, the Charles Wallace India Trust, the Department of Culture, the Det Lange Udvalga in Denmark and the India Foundation of the Arts. In 1988, she was nominated to the Advisory Committee of the Kathak Kendra (Sangeet Natak Academy), and in 1994 was awarded an extended Senior Fellowship from the Department of Culture in New Delhi. In 1997 she was nominated by the Department of Culture as an expert on the Committee for selecting candidates for awards and scholarships in the fields of Folk, Traditional and Indigenous Arts. In 1998, she was appointed Trustee on the Board of Trustees of the National Folklore Support Center, Chennai.
She is currently establishing the Adishakti Theatre Laboratory in Pondicherry. The Laboratory is designed to provide an enduring base, archive, performance space and research centre so that the work Adishakti is doing will be preserved and communicated to a wider range of regional, domestic and international audiences.
Annex 4
Profile of Vinay Kumar
Vinay Kumar is an actor in residence with Adishakti since 1993. A graduate from the Trichur School of Drama, he has also trained in traditional performance forms like Kathakali, Kalaripayattu, Koodiyattam. He has been a member of the Shakti Theatre Company since the age of six and has been involved with performances and various aspects of theatre production. He was also one of the founding members of the first feminist theatre group in Kerala at the age of eighteen, where he went on to establish three Women’s Campus Theatre Groups in the state.
Widely traveled, Vinay Kumar was in Paris in 1995 where he have performances of Impressions of Bhima. In 1996, he was in Bali to observe the traditional performance forms there and in 1997, he performed at the Asia Society in New York. In the same year, he proceeded to UCLA on a fellowship program where he worked with both Asian and North American artistes. Currently, he is on a Junior Fellowship from the Department of Culture.
Some of Vinay Kumar’s significant performances were in Woyzek (1992), A Greater Dawn (1993-1995), Impression of Bhima (1994-1998), Myth of a Hero (1997), Brhannala (1998), and Ganapati (2000)
Annex 5
Profile of Cast
Hariharan
Hariharan is one of the most significant theatre musicians on the national scene. A Koodiyattam musician by training and profession, he is equally at ease with contemporary theatre practice. Not only does he play on the Mizhavu, his chosen professional instrument, but also on the keyboard and wind and percussion instruments from the musical traditions of Kerala.
Hariharan has been attached to Adishakti as an out-of-station actor since 1997. He has also professional commitments in different parts of the country and has performed in London, Zurich, Tokyo etc.
Suresh K
Suresh K has been with Adishakti since 1997 as an out-of-station actor. He is a trained Ottantullal performer in Kerala and has also studied Bharatanatyam and Parichamuttakali.
Arvind Rane
Arvind Rane has been with Adishakti since its inception n 1981. He has participated in every Adishakti production either as an actor or a musician or a set designer. Arvind hails from Mumbai and is a permanent member of Adishakti.
Jean
Jean has been in Pondicherry and Auroville for over thirty years. He is a dancer, theatre performer and is part of the education program in Auroville. He has been with Adishakti since 1997 and has been working on light design since 1993.
Nimmi Raphel
Nimmi Raphel is a graduate in Kuchipudi and Mohiniyattam at the Kerala Kalamandalam, Trichur and has been giving dance performances all over India. She is currently a resident actor at Adishakti, practicing its methodology of theatre.
Pascal Sieger
Pascal Sieger is a professional saxophonist and composer, now settled in Auroville. He has played sessions with leading musicians in Europe and the USA and has composed extensively.